Abstract
Sustaining motivation for foreign language learning has proven to be a long-lasting challenge for university students outside the linguistic fields. This study, accordingly, proposed and empirically validated an inclusive, gamification-based instructional methodology with a view to enhancing motivational dispositions and academic achievement outcomes for non-philological undergraduates. Developed within the frameworks of self-determination theory, expectancy-value theory, and constructivist learning principles, this approach embedded game design elements such as point systems, digital badges, progressive levels, competitive leaderboards, and narrative-driven tasks into foreign language teaching in a manner that was coherent with the curricular goals. A quasi-experimental mixed-method approach involving 120 undergraduates was carried out over 14 weeks, and participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. Inferential statistics were applied to analyze the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative responses. Compared with the students of the non-gamified instructional framework, the students in the experimental group enjoyed significantly higher levels of intrinsic motivation, learning engagement, and language performance.
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